§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many private landlords have been visited by rent officers in each year since 1990;
(2) how many private landlords were prevented by rent officers from providing accommodation for benefit claimants in each year since 1990;
(3) how many private landlords provided accommodation for benefit claimants in each year since 1990.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonRent officers register fair rents for regulated tenancies, and determine reasonable rents for the purposes of housing benefit subsidy on request from local housing authorities, who decide whether to award housing benefit in individual cases. Rent officers are not required to visit landlords for either function, although they may inspect individual dwellings; and when registering a fair rent the rent officers may hold a consultation to which the landlord is invited, but which he need not attend. Figures are therefore not available for landlords as requested, but the figures for rent determinations for fair rent and housing benefit purposes are as follows:
Year Fair rent Housing benefit 1990 17,309 37,034 1991 15,554 39,670 1992 12,411 45,690 1993 12,163 50,231 Note:
These figures may include more than one determination relating to the same person.
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total sum of rents referred to the rent registration service for the last year for which figures are available and the total sum of rents determined as reasonable for housing benefit subsidy for the same period.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 31 March 1994]: It is estimated, on the basis of a 90 per cent. sample of cases recorded for 1993, that the total sum of rents referred to the rent registration service for housing benefit purposes was around £145 million and the total sum of rents determined was around £131 million.